On July 17, 2018, Cherokee Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home on Cedar Mill Crossing in Acworth in reference to a “person down” call. When they arrived deputies discovered a 31-year-old female deceased on the sofa. Underneath the female, they found a deceased 8-month-old male infant. Also in the home was a 2-year-old female that was unharmed.

The adult female was identified as Holly Whitley. There were no obvious injuries to Whitley or her infant son. An autopsy was conducted at the GBI Crime Lab. The “manner of death” for both the Whitley and the infant is listed as “accidental.” The “cause of death” for Holly Whitley was “Methamphetamine Toxicity.” The cause of death for the infant was “mechanical asphyxia.” In layman’s terms, Ms. Whitley died from a lethal amount of Methamphetamine in her system, her body came to rest on top of her infant which caused the child to smother, leading to his death.